Happiness is warmth at your back
by Vilian
Summary: A snapshot from Hoth; just a single moment of - happiness?


Jyn hates cold. She was suffering from bad weather for so many times, on so many different planets, that she should hate Hoth too, with all her might. This time though, this time things are a bit different.

They were standing outside the Echo Base, whole human Rogue One team among the crowd of Rebels. Everybody was knee-deep in still fresh snow, most wearing insufficient outfits, but all excited: they were finally able to take a proper look at surroundings of their new home. Miraculously the blizzards came to a full stop, the gap lasting for few good hours already, so people were allowed to take a break from hectic corridor and chamber digging or unpacking and installing the equipment. The base already settled down on a more-or-less functional level provided shelter from the snowstorms and extremely low temperatures, but barely anyone could take well days after days in closing, especially after the freedom of movement that Yavin base used to offer. This was the perfect chance to see the sky, breathe some fresh - even if freezing - air, unwind a bit, simply get rid of restlessness amidst Rebellion soldiers.

It takes no time for people to start acting like children, even though they are mostly adults. Genuine laughs and multilingual cries and joyful shrieks quickly replace previous eerie silence of the white realm. A burst of activity suddenly unleashes and almost everybody either takes part in some game or other, or creates weird snow figures, be it creatures or buildings; avid chases, snowball fights, tumbling and wrestling, snowbanthas and snowbucketheads all around.

Jyn is looking at snow-frolicking people with barely concealed disdain. She wouldn't even go outside, if not for Bodhi's plea. Jyn can't refuse him, he's like a brother she never had. It's Bodhi who managed to gather and usher them outside, so she's standing beside her family members, wondering what the kriff all these other people are doing, and why aren't they cold. She shivers in her Rebellion-issued clothes, even with two additional shirts - blatantly stolen from closet shared with Cassian - and is definitely not in mood for such activities. She still has chilblained fingers from all the snow shoveling and ice carving required for the base construction, and is not willing to do any more of this in her spare time. Well, at least not until the snow gets under her own collar in form of a well-aimed snowball.

To Jyn's surprise her attacker is Chirrut. His usual serene smile doesn't give out anything, but the fact that his staff is in hands of Baze certainly does indicate something; that, and his heavily snow-covered gloves. Blood boiling with fury usually helps Jyn with aiming, but not when she's otherwise freezing, so her own hurriedly thrown snowball lands somewhere in the middle of Baze's beard instead. The large man tosses away his partner's staff and with heavy grunt lowers for ammo material, avoiding this way Bodhi's volley of cold projectiles. But the final straw leading to a full war is an outrageous sneak attack on Jyn from giggling - by the Force, madly giggling - Cassian, who apparently still cherishes childhood memories of Festian winters. That does it for each of them, the infectious laughter from the least expected person, and the Rogue One snowball fight starts for good, no coalitions and no mercy.

Several minutes later all the five of them is laughing and commenting each other's actions while still heavily panting, exhausted by the strained movement in such deep snow and by dodging the snowballs. Jyn no longer feels the cold; what more, she no longer feels the urge to disappear in the depths of the base. She's just fine the way she is now: standing in the circle of her dearest ones, having silly banter about everything and nothing at all, even watching how snow starts to fall again, spiraling slowly to the ground in big fluffy chunks. But since the forecast says there's no immediate danger of any upcoming blizzard, they choose to stay outside for a while longer. Encouraged by Cassian's memory of simpler past, Guardians share their own recollections of youngster days, and Bodhi follows. Their stories go on and on, and with passing time Jyn starts to shiver again. She'd gladly hide the issue to not worry Cassian, seeing how relaxed he seems to be, but of course he notices. He stands behind Jyn and unzips his parka, inviting her to snuggle into it - and him.

Jyn's not the one to show weaknesses. Being so close to Cassian is not her weakness though, she finds it being her strength; their relationship being their strength. With a content sigh she allows herself to sink into his loving embrace, to prop her back against his chest, and lets him wrap her with his parka and arms. The warmth seeps both into her bones and soul; watching the falling snow she slowly zones out. She blocks out the stories told and the background noise and instead falls into analyzing all those things that her heart swells with; things she feels so rarely that they surprise her over and over again. Startled, Jyn finally discovers what it may be that she feels now. Is this possibly one of the faces that happiness, this ever-elusive phenomena may have?

Drawn back to reality by a snow chunk on her nose, Jyn takes a look at smiling faces of her family by choice, and smiles too; now she knows. Happiness is being held with two trustful arms. Happiness is warmth at your back. Happiness is sense of belonging, even if only for several seconds, even if just here and now. Jyn is truly happy and shyly hopes that Cassian is too; that all of them are, at least in this very moment. 

* * *

_**A/N:** Inspired by a distant memory that resurfaced because of today's weather - snow falling in big, fluffy chunks._


End file.
